Every so often, usually in online groups or forums, someone comes along and asks if it is always necessary to construct your own magickal tools, or if one can simply purchase them instead.

Overwhelmingly, such a person receives the same answer: Of course you must make your own tools! Constructing the tools is part of the ritual, it is how you imbue the tools with your personal energy and link them to your psyche. To use a tool made by someone else, you are bringing in that person’s energy and any impurities that might come along with it. Besides, just going out and buying all of your tools is lazyâ€”an indicator of our modern consumer culture of instant gratification and simply purchasing your way through the system rather than doing the work.

Some people are very adamant about making their toolsâ€”even to the point of losing respect for anyone that purchases them instead. They feel the necessity of constructing the tools from scratch with your own hands is an obvious no-brainer. For them, there is no reasonable excuse for lowering yourself to consumerism to obtain your tools.

But, are they right?

I’m not sure who was the first to insist that one must construct their own magickal weapons. Nor do I know exactly at which point this became a “given” in modern occultism. However, I do know that this attitude seems to be a modern convention. I’ve never run into it in the African Traditional Religions (like Santeria, Palo, Voodoo, etc). I’ve never heard it said about Hoodoo or Hexcraft/Pow-wow. I’ve never encountered it in the grimoires, nor heard it said in any form of (pre-modern) witchcraft or shamanism.

Of course, we do have some points to consider here. Most of these forms of old magick existed before there were occult shops or websites to sell us fancy magickal wands and talismans. So, these systems never directly address the issue of making vs. purchasing the tools, and it is obviously assumed you will be making them from scratch.

Also, we have to consider that some magickal textsâ€”like the Solomonic grimoiresâ€”contain extremely involved ritual instructions for the creation of most of the tools. Given that we know a store-bought item will not have been created according to those instructions (and may have even been mass-produced with slave labor, or in an environmentally harmful manner, or both), we might assume it is necessary to make them from scratch instead.

However, both of these considerations are assumptions. In the former case, there was simply no issue to address at the time. (There were no stores.) We don’t know what the ancient shamans would have done if they had had access to occult shops and websites. However, many systems of old magick continue to exist today, and they have directly addressed the issue. What you might find surprising is that none of them seem to have a problem with buying magickal items.

Hoodoo is likely the best example, as its proliferation in the American south was largely thanks to “occult curio” mail order catalogs. Hoodoo has an ingrained tradition of using materials that are cheap or already on-handâ€”such as writing talismans on brown paper from old shopping bags (which, at the time, were often laying around your kitchen in stacks)â€”but it was also acceptable to buy nearly everything from the catalogs: candles, floor washes, herbal baths, oils, powders, incense, talismans, etc, etc.

Santeria, Voodoo, and other ATRs also embraced the concept of occult shopsâ€”and today one can find any number of “botanicas” in heavily Latino populated areas. (They are very common here in Florida.) In the botanicas you can buy statues, icons, herbs, beads, animal products, urns, cloths, iron tools, railroad spikes, and nearly everything you’d need to set up the altars and practice the religions.

Going back a bit further, we find the famous Key of Solomon makes mention of buying your magickal dagger. After giving the instructions for forging the blade yourself, the text amends: “But if it seemeth unto thee too troublesome to make a similar knife, have one made in the same fashion.” (Key of Solomon the King, Book 2, Chapter 8.) Likewise, one is encouraged to get ahold of holy itemsâ€”such as robes and censersâ€”that have been used by priests or rabbis during religious services.

Other grimoires even give guidelines for having your tools made by professionals. The person you hire must be trustworthy and upstandingâ€”likely so his personal character will not taint the tool before it even gets to you. Some even insist the person you hire should be an occultist himself, and willing to follow all the ritual instructions as he makes the tool. A common warning (often heeded even by modern occultism) is that one must never haggle over the price of a magickal item.

Even as recently as the advent of Wicca: in the Book of Shadowsâ€”just after the instructions for making the altar tools (which are adopted largely from the Key of Solomon)â€”we find a clause stating that if the witch can get her hands on the magickal tools of a wizard, then she should not pass up the opportunity. I’m fairly sure that Gardner had either Solomonic tools or Golden Dawn tools, or both, in mind when he wrote that.

As far as I can tell, the concept that you must make your own tools is strictly modern, and its validity depends entirely on the psychological model of magick. If the magick you are doing is strictly in your head, and the rituals are only intended to activate aspects of your own psyche, then it would be vastly important to craft the tools yourselfâ€”as part of the psychological exercise.

On the other hand, if the tools are houses for real spirits, then who makes the house isn’t as important as knowing and working with the spirit. Aladdin didn’t have to make his own lamp in order to summon the Jinn from it.

Now, before I sign off, I’d like to make a couple of points clear. First, I’m not suggesting that the above evidence should give us permission to indulge our consumerist laziness and simply purchase everything we need! It is still true that making the tools yourself is the best-case scenarioâ€”because it does indeed become part of the ritual and puts a piece of your own soul into the items.

However, there will be some things that are beyond your ability to make from scratch; for example, how many of you can forge your own blades? It is at these times one should consider buying the itemâ€”or the ingredients to make it. At no time ever should you decide to purchase something because doing so is simply “easier” or “faster.” That attitude will put an end to your magick right away.

There will also be times when it is impossible to buy a tool and still meet the ritual requirements for its creation/consecrationâ€”especially if you don’t know an occultist who can do the work for you and reliably follow the rituals in your stead. In such cases, you will have no choice but to make it yourself.

Thus, in the end, I’m not taking a firm stance either for or against purchasing your magickal tools. Instead, I wanted to illustrate that, historically, there hasn’t been a firm stance either way. Buying tools and ingredients is neither encouraged as “the way to go” nor discouraged as detrimental to the magick. The concern is for what is most practical given your circumstances, and protocols are given for both options.

In my own practice, I have many tools I have made myself and a few that I have either purchased or have inherited from other occultists. Sometimes what I need to make requires me to go out into nature and gather the ingredients myself, and sometimes it requires me to seek out a good botanica.

Reader Comments

Personally, I make most of my tools, but that’s because I like making things. Honestly, tool/talisman construction is among my very favorite activities. However, I think there’s another aspect that people who insist on making their own tools miss, and that’s CRAFTSMANSHIP.

An ugly or poorly made tool (magical or otherwise) is unlikely to be used to produce things of beauty and value. That can cut both ways. If I were to attempt to forge my own knife, I have no doubt that it would be ugly and weak. Seeing such a thing, and knowing that I made it, it would be hard for me to believe that anything I made/did with it wouldn’t also be ugly and weak.

A well-made tool is always better than a badly made one, no matter who/what makes it.

Very good text Aaron.
I see no problem about buying tools, but I really prefer to do my own when I’m able to.
I must explain I’m not talented with hands, so for sure, I prefer to buy a well done from an artisan/artist what I need.

But one thing I found interesting, and you noted at your text: I think one can buy tools, but must know why such tools are done that way, or how that was made.
See the example of the ATRs, where a lot of people just buy products at some store, but they have no idea what is that. In my country, we have a lot of such stores (botanicas), and most people have no idea how each product is made, nor ingredientes or source. They just receive a list from some priest who often does not know too. Just practical knowledge but few know how to do that. And because this, products and even images with same names, are really different from one place to another.

I’m surprised Aaron, the making of tools is ancient practice, and well described.
The buying/commercial acquisition of tools is tied to the rise of the Monotheism and the rise of celebrant priest.
The exact terms slip my mind but in Greek/Roman days there were priests of the people who ran the weddings and worship days, and others which were the spiritual holy ones who did the actual godly stuff. The latter were to learn, communicate and teach that stuff of the Gods. The former were there to receive donations and pass out blessings, to see the cult had influence with the faithful, and to see that the temple was glorified enough that visitors were properly awed/reverent. There is of course, no reason that such celebrant work be personally done and in fact it would be foolish. In our modern world, it would be alikened to Crowley’s theatre performances of the Arte, or to the Catholic church. Sad thing is, for the being in Guph, with head in Malkuth, this is the only level of majesty and glory they can comprehend, but to each their ability.

Whereas the spiritual person is of a trade. the apprentice makes their own tools. He might receive gifts from their master or mentors, but a craftsman who can’t set their own tools. However, one then must be mindful what the true tools are… The hammer and splitting chisel might be the tool for the blacksmith, but what of the whitesmith? Or the seamstress?

If we look to cultures where the holy people (as opposed to celebrants) still exist, in my case to the Maori tohaunga of NZ, then we notice that a few personal items are passed to those they work with, but many of their working tools are buried with them, or burnt. Such blessed items are also normally tapu, and not to be touched by others. and are normally found and consecrated by the holy person themselves.

Personally I have done both, bought some and made some of my own. In some of my pieces I have a real knack and a real calling, with others I feel much more comfortable purchasing them. I think it depends on the item and I agree, you wouldn’t go out an make your own “blades” say for an athame. But wands no problem with a nice wood and gem stones etc.

Like others I often prefer to make my own tools where possible but have bought others with no regrets. I agree that a tools power is definitely improved when one applies the time effort and patience needed to create it.. It’s probably more important though that the implement be imbued with your energy and cleansed of any unwanted influences previously attached.
Preparing the tool, inherited, purchased or otherwise acquired is a matter of the path you follow and what that tradition specifically directs.. To purge or cleanse of unwanted energy, could be as simple as applying a salt wash and then burying it in the ground for several days during an astrologically auspicious time to following a complex series of rituals combined with the above.. Similarly, imbuing with your energy could be as simple as personalizing with important sigils, runes and or other symbology found within your tradition to consecrating through a complex ritual as directed by your tradition or one you take the time to mindfully create. I always get a kick out of purists that insist that magick is somehow corrupted when one buys the materials needed to get the results they want. As pointed out in the article, there have always been and always will be those that specialize in providing hard-to-get materials and ingredients needed to do a particular tasks. Without them, many of us wouldn’t be able to make any progress in our development and enjoy the benefits of richly living a magical existence. While some traditions insist you go so far as to create your own Tarot deck, (which by the way is a very enlightening and interesting process) I believe it’s more important that the aspiring practitioner first get the training and instruction necessary to properly and responsibly live magically.

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